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Virginians for Fair Elections

Privacy Policy

Last Updated: January 9, 2026

This Privacy Policy is designed to help you understand how Virginians for Fair Elections (or “we”, “our”, “us”) collects, uses, and shares your personal information.

  1. SCOPE
  2. PERSONAL INFORMATION WE COLLECT
  3. HOW WE USE YOUR INFORMATION
  4. HOW WE DISCLOSE YOUR INFORMATION
  5. YOUR PRIVACY CHOICES AND RIGHTS
  6. SECURITY OF YOUR INFORMATION
  7. INTERNATIONAL DATA TRANSFERS
  8. RETENTION OF PERSONAL INFORMATION
  9. CHILDREN’S INFORMATION
  10. OTHER PROVISIONS
  11. CALIFORNIA RESIDENTS
  12. STATE PRIVACY LAWS
  13. CONTACT US

SCOPE

This Privacy Policy applies to personal information processed by us, including on our website and other online or offline offerings. To make this Privacy Policy easier to read, our website and other offerings are collectively called the “Services.” By using our Services, you consent to the terms of this Privacy Policy.

PERSONAL INFORMATION WE COLLECT

The categories of personal information we collect depend on how you interact with us, our Services, and the requirements of applicable law. We collect information that you provide to us, information we obtain automatically when you use our Services, and information from other sources such as third-party services and organizations, as described below.

Information You Provide to Us Directly

We may collect the following personal information that you provide to us.

  • Your Communications with Us. We may collect personal information, such as name, email address, phone number, mailing address, employer, occupation, citizenship,, credit card type, and political affiliation when you contact us through the Services, make a donation, sign up for an event, apply for a job, or otherwise communicate with us.
  • Donations You Make. We may collect personal information when you make donations, including name, email address, and cell phone. Federal law also requires us to use our best efforts to collect certain employment information, including your occupation and name of employer if your contributions exceed $200 in a calendar year. Your donations are processed by a third-party payment processor through our online fundraising platforms, including Act Blue. We do not directly collect or store any payment card information entered through our Services, but we will receive information associated with your payment card information, as described above.
  • Social Sharing Features. We and others who use our Services may collect personal information that you submit or make available through our interactive features (e.g., social media pages). Any information you provide using the public sharing features of the Services will be considered “public,” unless otherwise required by applicable law, and is not subject to the privacy protections referenced herein. For more information about the purpose and scope of data collection and processing in connection with social sharing features, please visit the privacy policies of the entities that provide these features.
  • Job Applications. We may post job openings and opportunities on our Services. If you reply to one of these postings by submitting your application, CV and/or cover letter to us, we will collect and use your information to assess your qualifications.
  • Information Collected Automatically

We may collect personal information automatically when you use our Services:

  • Automatic Data Collection. We may collect certain information automatically when you use our Services, such as your Internet Protocol (IP) address, user settings, MAC address, cookie identifiers, mobile carrier, mobile advertising and other unique identifiers, browser or device information, location information (including approximate location derived from IP address), and Internet service provider. We may also automatically collect information regarding your use of our Services, such as pages that you visit before, during and after using our Services, information about the links you click, the types of content you interact with, the frequency and duration of your activities, and other information about how you use our Services.
  • Cookies, Pixel Tags/Web Beacons, and Other Technologies. We, as well as third parties that provide content, advertising, or other functionality on our Services, may use cookies, pixel tags, local storage, and other technologies (“Technologies”) to automatically collect information through your use of our Services.
    • Cookies. Cookies are small text files placed in device browsers that store preferences and facilitate and enhance your experience.
    • Pixel Tags/Web Beacons. A pixel tag (also known as a web beacon) is a piece of code embedded in our Services that collects information about engagement on our Services. The use of a pixel tag allows us to record, for example, that a user has visited a particular web page or clicked on a particular advertisement. We may also include web beacons in e-mails to understand whether messages have been opened, acted on, or forwarded.

Our uses of these Technologies fall into the following general categories:

  • Operationally Necessary. This includes Technologies that allow you access to our Services, applications, and tools that are required to identify irregular website behavior, prevent fraudulent activity and improve security or that allow you to make use of our functionality.
  • Performance-Related. We may use Technologies to assess the performance of our Services, including as part of our analytic practices to help us understand how individuals use our Services (see Analytics below).
  • Functionality-Related. We may use Technologies that allow us to offer you enhanced functionality when accessing or using our Services. This may include identifying you when you sign into our Services or keeping track of your specified preferences, interests, or past items viewed.
  • Advertising- or Targeting-Related. We may use first-party or third-party Technologies to deliver content, including ads relevant to your interests, on our Services or on third-party websites.

See Your Privacy Choices and Rights below to understand your choices regarding these Technologies.

  • Analytics. We may use Technologies and other third-party tools to process analytics information on our Services.

Information Collected from Other Sources

We may obtain information about you from other sources, including through third-party services and organizations that provide access to personal information.

  • Political Affiliates and Strategic Partnerships. We may collect personal information from individuals and third parties to assess and pursue fundraising opportunities.
  • Partner Organizations. We may collect personal information about you from third-party organizations that share our values and goals. This includes exchanges of personal information with such partner organizations.
  • Third-Party Services. We may collect personal information about you from third-party providers, such as data brokers and privately owned voter databases. Any information collected from third-parties is used for the purpose of providing our Services, including soliciting donations.

HOW WE USE YOUR INFORMATION

In order to further our mission to elect Democratic representatives to Congress, we use your information for a variety of purposes, including to provide our Services and for administrative purposes, as described below.

A. Provide Our Services

We use your information in various ways to provide our Services, such as:

  • Providing you with information and updates related to our mission.
  • Pursuing our legitimate interests, including research to identify issues to support or future donors to engage.
  • Contacting you if other information is necessary under election laws.
  • Managing your information.
  • Monitoring and analyzing usage of Services and to personalize and improve Services.
  • Communicating with you about policy changes.
  • Processing your financial information and other payment methods for donations.
  • Processing applications if you apply for a job we post on our Services.

Text messaging originator opt-in data and consent will not be shared with third parties, provided that we may share text messaging originator opt-in data and consent with our third-party vendors, consultants and other service providers who need access to such information to carry out work on our behalf (and who will not use such information for their own purposes); or if we believe disclosure is required by law.

B. Administrative Purposes

We use your information for various administrative purposes, such as:

  • Fraud prevention.
  • Detecting security incidents, protecting against malicious, deceptive, fraudulent or illegal activity, and prosecuting those responsible for that activity.
  • Measuring interest and engagement in our Services.
  • Improving, upgrading or enhancing our Services.
  • Ensuring internal quality control and safety.
  • Authenticating and verifying individual identities, including requests to exercise your rights under this policy.
  • Debugging to identify and repair errors with our Services.
  • Auditing relating to interactions, transactions and other compliance activities.
  • Enforcing our agreements and policies.
  • Complying with our legal obligations.

C. Promoting our Services

We may use personal information to tailor and provide you with content or promotional material. We may provide you with these materials as permitted by applicable law. Some of the ways we may market to you include email. If you have any questions about our marketing practices, you may contact us at any time as set forth in Contact Us below.

D. Other Purposes

We also use your information for other purposes as requested by you or as permitted by applicable law.

  • Consent. We may use personal information for other purposes that are clearly disclosed to you at the time you provide personal information or with your consent.
  • De-identified and Aggregated Information. We may use personal information and other information about you to create de-identified and/or aggregated information, such as de-identified demographic information, de-identified location information, information about the device from which you access our Services, or other analyses we create.

HOW WE DISCLOSE YOUR INFORMATION

We disclose your information to third parties for a variety of purposes, including to provide our Services, to protect us or others, or in the event of a major business transaction such as a merger, sale, or asset transfer, as described below.

A. Disclosures to Provide our Services

The categories of third parties with whom we may share your information are described below.

  • Service Providers. We may share your personal information with our third-party service providers who use that information to help us provide our Services. This includes service providers that provide us with research support, help us conduct our interviews (whether via phone, text messaging, or in person), IT support, hosting, payment processing, customer service, and related services.
  • Partners or causes with similar viewpoints. We may share your personal information with partners, organizations, campaigns, candidates, groups, or causes that we believe have similar political viewpoints, principles, or objectives or share similar goals and with organizations that facilitate communications and information sharing among such groups.
  • Affiliates. We may share your personal information with our company affiliates.

B. Disclosures to Protect Us or Others

  • Legal Compliance. We may access, preserve, and disclose any information we store associated with you to external parties if we, in good faith, believe doing so is required or appropriate to: comply with law enforcement or national security requests and legal process, such as a court order or subpoena; protect your, our, or others’ rights, property, or safety; enforce our policies or contracts; collect amounts owed to us; or assist with an investigation or prosecution of suspected or actual illegal activity.
  • Regulatory Organizations. We are often required to disclose information to the Federal Elections Commission regarding our contributions to comply with campaign finance laws. For example, federal law requires us to use our best efforts to collect and disclose the name, mailing address, occupation and name of employer of individuals whose contributions aggregate in excess of $200 in a calendar year.

C. Disclosure in the Event of Merger, Sale, or Other Asset Transfers

If we are involved in a merger, acquisition, financing due diligence, reorganization, bankruptcy, receivership, purchase or sale of assets, or transition of service to another provider, your information may be sold or transferred as part of such a transaction, as permitted by law and/or contract.

D. Disclosures to Advertising Partners

We may share your personal information with third-party advertising partners. These third-party advertising partners may set Technologies and other tracking tools on our Services to collect information regarding your activities and your device (e.g., your IP address, cookie identifiers, page(s) visited, location, time of day). These advertising partners may use this information (and similar information collected from other services) for purposes of delivering personalized advertisements to you when you visit digital properties within their networks. This practice is commonly referred to as “interest-based advertising” or “targeted advertising.” To opt out of targeted advertising please contact us at [email protected].

E. Sale of Personal Information

We do not sell personal information in exchange for monetary consideration in the traditional sense. We may, however, exchange certain personal information we collect (as disclosed above) with partner organizations that share in our mission. Under some state privacy laws, such exchanges of personal information may be considered a “sale” of personal data, even if no money is exchanged. These exchanges of personal information may include names, address, donation history, phone number, and e-mail address. At times, campaign finance laws will require us to also receive a monetary payment when the exchange of information discussed above is for a disproportional amount of data; this too would be considered a sale under some state’s privacy laws. We also share your information with data brokers in exchange for access to personal information on individuals who may share our goals. This exchange would also be considered a sale under some state privacy laws. You can opt out of the sale of your personal data by contacting [email protected]. For more information on the rights provided under some state laws, see our State Specific Privacy Policy.

YOUR PRIVACY CHOICES AND RIGHTS

Your Privacy Choices. The privacy choices you may have about your personal information are determined by applicable law and are described below.

  • Email and Telephone Communications. If you receive an unwanted email from us, you can use the unsubscribe link found at the bottom of the email to opt out of receiving future emails. Note that you will continue to receive transaction-related emails and we may also send you certain non-promotional communications regarding us and our Services, and you will not be able to opt out of those communications (e.g., communications regarding our Services or updates to our Terms or this Privacy Policy). In addition, to comply with federal election law, our contributor records will be continuously maintained in a separate secure database.We process requests to be placed on do-not-mail, do-not-phone, and do-not-contact lists as required by applicable law.
  • Text Messages. You may opt out of receiving text messages from us by following the instructions in the text message you have received from us or by otherwise contacting us.
  • “Do Not Track”. Do Not Track (“DNT”) is a privacy preference that users can set in certain web browsers. Please note that we do not respond to or honor DNT signals or similar mechanisms transmitted by web browsers.
  • Cookies and Interest-Based Advertising. You may stop or restrict the placement of Technologies on your device or remove them by adjusting your preferences as your browser or device permits. However, if you adjust your preferences, our Services may not work properly. Please note that cookie-based opt-outs are not effective on mobile applications. However, you may opt-out of personalized advertisements on some mobile applications by following the instructions for Android, iOS and others.

The online advertising industry also provides websites from which you may opt out of receiving targeted ads from data partners and other advertising partners that participate in self-regulatory programs. You can access these and learn more about targeted advertising and consumer choice and privacy by visiting the Network Advertising Initiative and the Digital Advertising Alliance. Please note you must separately opt out in each browser and on each device.

SECURITY OF YOUR INFORMATION

We take steps to ensure that your information is treated securely and in accordance with this Privacy Policy. Unfortunately, no system is 100% secure, and we cannot ensure or warrant the security of any information you provide to us. To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, we do not accept liability for unauthorized disclosure. By using our Services or providing personal information to us, you agree that we may communicate with you electronically regarding security, privacy, and administrative issues relating to your use of our Services. If we learn of a security system’s breach, we may attempt to notify you electronically by posting a notice on our Services, by mail or by sending an email to you.

INTERNATIONAL DATA TRANSFERS

All information processed by us may be transferred, processed, and stored anywhere in the world, including, but not limited to, the United States or other countries, which may have data protection laws that are different from the laws where you live. We endeavor to safeguard your information consistent with the requirements of applicable laws.

RETENTION OF PERSONAL INFORMATION

We store the personal information we collect as described in this Privacy Policy indefinitely and as necessary to fulfill the purpose(s) for which it was collected, provide our Services, resolve disputes, establish legal defenses, conduct audits, pursue legitimate business purposes, enforce our agreements, and comply with applicable laws.

CHILDREN’S INFORMATION

The Services may, at times, may include the collection of information from children under 13 (or other age as required by local law); we only collect personal information from children after obtaining the appropriate parental or guardian consents. If you are a parent or guardian believe your child has provided personal information to us without your consent, you may contact us as described in Contact Us below. If we become aware that a child has provided us with personal information in violation of applicable law, we will delete any personal information we have collected, unless we have a legal obligation to keep it.

OTHER PROVISIONS

Third-Party Services. Certain features and functionalities of the Services may link to or allow you to interface, interact, or share information with, access and/or use third-party websites, services, products, and technology (collectively, “Third-Party Services”) through the Services. Virginians for Fair Elections does not provide or control any aspect of the Third-Party Services and is not responsible for any compatibility issues, errors or bugs in the Services or Third-Party Services caused in whole or in part by the Third-Party Services or any update or upgrade thereto. We encourage our users to read the privacy policies of each Third-Party Service with which they interact. We do not endorse, screen or approve, and are not responsible for, the privacy practices or content of such Third-Party Services. Providing personal information to Third-Party Services is at your own risk.

Changes to our Privacy Policy. We may revise this Privacy Policy from time to time in our sole discretion. If there are any material changes to this Privacy Policy, we will notify you as required by applicable law. We encourage you to review the Privacy Policy whenever you access the Services to stay informed about our information practices and the ways you can help protect your privacy. You understand and agree that you will be deemed to have accepted the updated Privacy Policy if you continue to use our Services after the new Privacy Policy takes effect.

CALIFORNIA RESIDENTS

California’s “Shine the Light” law (Civil Code Section § 1798.83) allows Company’s Website users that are California residents, to request certain information pertaining to Company’s disclosure of Personal Information to third parties for their direct marketing purposes. To make such a request, please contact the Company by emailing us at [email protected].

STATE PRIVACY LAWS

Some U.S. state privacy laws require specific disclosures. Those disclosures supplement our Privacy Policy.

CONTACT US

If you have any questions about our privacy practices or this Privacy Policy, or to exercise your rights as detailed in this Privacy Policy, please contact us at [email protected].

STATE SPECIFIC PRIVACY LAWS

Some states’ privacy laws require us to provide some additional information to residents of those states, which we provide below. This table below outlines the categories of personal information we may collect, the sources and recipients of personal information, and the purposes for which we may use personal information (depending on how and why you interact with the Services).

Personal Information Category Sources Purposes Recipients
Customer Records (e.g., as name, address, email address, telephone number, education, donation history) Information you provide directly or through your interactions with our Services; Third-party providers; Data brokers; Information from our partners (a) Providing our Services; (b) Improving our Services; (c) Ensuring the security of our Services; (d) Providing technical support; (e) Enabling participation in content offerings; (f) Communicating with you; (g) Personal Information exchanges with Partner Organizations/Sales under applicable state law (h) Conducting qualitative and quantitative research on behalf of ourself or our customers; (i) Marketing and business development; (j) Exercising/protecting legal rights and complying with legal obligations; Service Providers, Data Brokers, Partner Organizations
Characteristics of Protected Classifications Under Applicable Laws (e.g., your gender or citizenship) Information you provide to us directly; Third-party providers (a) Processing donations (b) Enabling quantitative or qualitative research on behalf of ourselves; (c) Marketing and business development; (d) Exercising/protecting legal rights and complying with legal obligations; Service Providers
Donation Information (e.g., information regarding donations made and donor) Information you provide to us directly; Information from Partner Organizations (a) Providing our Services; (b) Improving our Services; (c) Ensuring the security of our Services; (d) Providing technical support; (e) Communicating with you; (f) Marketing and business development; g) Personal Information exchanges with Partner Organizations/Sales under applicable state law; (h) Exercising/protecting legal rights and complying with legal obligations (i) Enabling quantitative or qualitative research; (j) Processing donations Service Providers; Partner Organizations; Regulatory Agencies
Internet or Other Electronic Network Activity Information (e.g., browsing history, search history, and information regarding your interactions with our Services) Your interactions with our Services; Service providers (a) Providing our Services; (b) Improving and optimizing our Services; (c) Targeted Advertising; (d) Ensuring the security of our Services; (e) Providing technical support Service Providers; Partner Organizations
Professional or Employment-Related Information / Education information Information you provide to us directly; Partner Organizations (a) Providing our Services; (b) Improving our Services; (c) Ensuring the security of our Services; (d) Communicating with you; (e) Personal Information exchanges with Partner Organizations/Sales under applicable state law; (f) Enabling quantitative or qualitative research on behalf of ourselves or our Customers; (g) Exercising/protecting legal rights and complying with legal obligations; (h) Processing job applications Service Providers; Partner Organizations

A. Disclosure of Personal Information

We may disclose the personal information identified in the table above to third parties as follows (depending on how and why you interact with the Services):

Service Providers

We may disclose personal information to our service providers in order to have them perform services that assist us in fulfilling the purposes listed above. Our service providers provide us with a range of services including: hosting our Services, processing payments, legal, auditing and accounting professional services, postal and email delivery, conducting analysis to improve our Services, fulfilling requests you make, managing payments, performing identity verification, and answering your questions. We may disclose personal information to our service providers in order to improve our Services, such as to identify bugs, repair errors, or ensure that services function as intended, or conduct internal research and analysis to improve our technology.

No Disclosure to Advertising Partners

We may share your personal information with third-party advertising partners. These third-party advertising partners may set Technologies and other tracking tools on our Services to collect information regarding your activities and your device (e.g., your IP address, cookie identifiers, page(s) visited, location, time of day). These advertising partners may use this information (and similar information collected from other services) for purposes of delivering personalized advertisements to you when you visit digital properties within their networks. This practice is commonly referred to as “interest-based advertising” or “targeted advertising.” To opt out of targeted advertising please contact us at [email protected].

Other Disclosures

On an ad hoc basis as necessary, we may also disclose personal information to third parties (such as our partners, service providers, and law enforcement and government agencies) to secure our Services and rights and interests of Virginians for Fair Elections and its partners, including to detect, prevent, and investigate security incidents or violations of our Terms of Use or applicable laws, or in the context of legal proceedings. We may also disclose personal information to an acquirer, assignee or other successor entity in connection with a sale, merger, or reorganization of all or substantially all of the equity, business, or assets of Virginians for Fair Elections.

Use of Sensitive Personal Information

Depending on how and why you interact with the Services, some of the personal information that Virginians for Fair Elections may collect or infer and use about you may be considered “sensitive data” or “sensitive data inferences” under Colorado and Oregon law in certain circumstances:

  • Demographic information (e.g. racial or ethnic origin);
  • Sexual orientation; and
  • Citizenship status.

We only collect your sensitive personal information when you voluntarily provide this information to us and provide clear, specific, opt-in consent. If you would like us to limit or stop our use of your sensitive personal information, you may contact us as indicated in the Contact Us section. We will respond to your request as required by applicable laws.

B. Retention of Personal Information

We will delete your information upon your request. We otherwise retain your personal information indefinitely.

C. Privacy Rights

Residents of certain states have certain rights in respect of your personal information under applicable state law. You may not be discriminated against because you exercise your rights under state law. These rights include:

  • The right to know what personal information we collect about you, including the categories of personal information, the categories of sources from which the personal information is collected, the purpose for collecting or sharing personal information, and the categories of third parties to whom we disclose personal information.
  • The right to have us delete your personal information.
  • The right to correct any inaccurate personal information we may have.
  • The right to opt out of the sale of your personal data.
  • The right not to have “sensitive personal data” processed unless the entity has the resident’s clear, specific, opt-in consent.

Certain state residents are also entitled to request and, once a year, obtain free of charge a copy of their personal data that we hold. We do not use any of your Personal Information to engage in targeted advertising online.

Exercising Your Rights

Consistent with applicable law, you may exercise the rights described in this section. Please note that the rights may vary depending on your state of residence. Please see the Region-Specific Terms section below. To exercise your data protection rights please contact us as listed below. While it is our policy to respect the rights of individuals, please be aware that your exercise of these rights is subject to certain exemptions and exceptions, and some of these rights might be limited (for example the right to withdraw consent) where we are required or permitted by law to continue processing your personal data to deliver services to you, defend our rights or meet our legal and regulatory obligations. If you contact us to exercise any of these rights, please note that we may only implement requests with respect to the personal data associated with you as an individual. We may also need to verify your identity before implementing your request and will try to comply with your request as soon as reasonably practicable and in accordance with the timelines required under applicable law. If we cannot verify your identity or your ownership rights to the data, we may not be able to service your request until you provide proper documentation.

Right to Appeal

If we deny your request to exercise any of your state privacy rights, you may appeal that decisions by contacting us at [email protected] and providing your request and the reason behind your appeal.

CONTACT US

If you have any questions about our privacy practices or this Privacy Policy, or to exercise your rights as detailed in this Privacy Policy, please contact us at [email protected].